


Bad First Impressions and Fresh Starts

by Son_of_Pokey



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27367312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Son_of_Pokey/pseuds/Son_of_Pokey
Summary: Korra is a college student struggling to balance her commitment to the swim team with her schoolwork, while going through a break up period with Mako. She meets Mako's new girlfriend in the worse way possible, but she can't help wanting to impress the other girl. Modern Au, Korrasami
Relationships: Baatar Jr./Kuvira (Avatar), Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Jinora/Kai (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 12
Kudos: 144





	1. Two Bad First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Probably the only update I'm going to write for this.

Chapter 1

Korra sat down on the locker bench with an oof, groaning as she rubbed her tired calves. She shook her head, and sighed with pleasure as she took off the swim cap. For thirty seconds, Korra basked in the feeling of running her hands through her hair and massaging her scalp. The feeling of relaxation abruptly ended when a hand casually slapped the back of her head.

“Hey there, shorty.”

“Ow, Kuv!”

“Sorry, I keep forgetting how delicate you are,” said Kuvira with a smirk.

Korra rolled her eyes as Kuvira slammed another slap onto her, this time targeted at her back.

“Cut it out, you hooligan! Can’t you see I’m sore after all that practice?” Korra rubbed her back where Kuvira had smacked her. Korra had been grinding her mile time, trying to get in under 23 minutes, the record held by… Kuvira.

“I practiced right next to you, and I’m not groaning like I just ran a 10k.” 

Korra rolled her eyes. “That’s cuz you’re a psycho. You love the pain and all that.”

Kuvira snatched up Korra’s towel and draped it over her shoulders. “Damn right. No pain, no gain. Alright, enough chit chat. Let’s go shower, and maybe grab a quick bite to eat?”

Korra squinted up at her friend suspiciously. “Why a quick bite? You usually love to sit and eat.”

Was that a hint of a blush on Kuvira’s face? Korra doubted it. It was probably the faint traces of the blood of her enemies. 

“Well, not today, shortcake. I don't feel that hungry.” 

Korra grinned a bit, and stood up. “Suuure. I bet this has nothing to do with that nerd you’ve been hanging around with.”

Kuvira glared at her. “He’s not a nerd. He’s just - hey! Shut up, Korra. Let’s just go grab some goddamn burgers.”

Korra snatched her towel back off of Kuvira. “Mhmm. Case closed. Let’s go shower.”

Thirty minutes later, Korra was out of her swimsuit and mostly dry, waiting for Kuvira outside of the locker room. Her phone buzzed.

-Bolin: hey wanna cmon over later an hang out? jinora’s gonna be there too. We could play some smash or something once we’re done.

-Korra: sure. what time

-Bolin: howabout like 8?

-Korra: does that work for jinora too? I know she’s young

-Bolin: lmao ill tell her u said that, always makes her mad when you say shes a toddler

-Korra: freshman, toddler smae thing

-Korra: *same

-Korra: anyway yea ill b there

-Bolin: awesome

Korra put her phone back in her pocket as Kuvira threw open the locker doors and strode through them.

“Arighty. Bill’s Burgeria?”

Kuvira looked like she had heard someone accuse her of war crimes. “Bill’s Burgeria? Not if my life depended on it. You’ll never beat my mile time on a diet of mashed up babies and pig feet. Let’s get some real food.”

Korra couldn't help but grin at the other girls' antics. “Sheesh Kuv, its just a burger.”

Kuvira scoffed as the two of them made their way down the hall. “Settling for less is for losers Korra. I’ll buy you one of Mike’s burgers if that’s what it takes to ensure you never eat at Bills’s “Burgeria” again.”

Korra pretended to think, putting a hand on her chin. “But Kuv, didn’t we eat there like a week ago?”

“Obviously not. If we had ever eaten there before you would never pass up the chance to go again.” 

Korra elbowed Kuvira in the side as the two of them stepped out of RCU and into the light of the afternoon sky. “So you’ll buy me a burger?”

“Just this once. To prove the point.”

The two girls grinned at each other. 

\-----

Korra leaned back and let out a belch. “Man, Kuv. This was a good idea. I never realize how hungry swim practice makes me.” 

“Yeah, well proper nutrition is key to success.”

Korra frowned. That didn't have Kuvira’s normal zeal. “Everything alright?”

The other girl checked the time on her phone. “Yeah. Yeah, all good. So Korra, why don’t we call this here for today? I’ve got some work to do.”

Korra smiled as she put the pieces together. “I was right about that boy wasn’t I? What’s his name? Barat? Botoor? You’re going to see him!”

“His name is _Bataar,_ you clown. And I’m not going to see him like that. I’m just working on a project with him.”

Korra laced her hands together in front of her and pretended to swoon. “Ah, love!”

She broke off giggling as Kuvira walloped her with the menu. The other girl was about to hit her again, when her phone buzzed against the tabletop. She quickly picked it up and answered the text, cradling the phone to her chest. Korra leaned over to try to see, and was sadly rebuffed by Kuvira propping up the menu as a barrier.

“Cmon, Kuv, let me see. I thought you didn't have anything to hide!”

“I don’t! Stop being so nosy.”

Korra poked Kuvira in the side. “Oh really?”

Kuvira glared at her. “Yes! Jesus! If I pay for your burger will you stop pestering me?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, it's better than nothing.” Kuvira motioned for a check, and put her credit card down when the waiter came over. 

“I’m serious Korra. It’s nothing. We’re just working.”

Korra put on her most serious face. “Absolutely. Of course. No doubt about it. Thank you for the burger.” 

Kuvira gave her one last half hearted wallop before pulling her into a quick hug and rushing out. Korra sat alone at the table, surrounded by wrappers and plates for a second, still surprised by the speed at which the other girl vanished. She checked her phone. 6:30. Still an hour and a half before she had to be at Bolin’s. That meant about an hour on her own. Probably not the best idea to stay at the restaurant for that whole time. 

Korra dawdled for a few minutes on her phone, basking in the warm sunlight pouring through the window, before finally standing up and putting on her backpack. Time to go. 

She ended up back at RCU in the University library. There was a quiet niche she liked to chill in while working, and she sought it out. Korra let herself relax as she cuddled into one of the comfy bean bag chairs. She put on her headphones, and pulled out her Calculus book. Time flew by, and before she knew it, it was time to pack up. She waved goodbye to some people she knew from classes, and put her books back in her backpack. Korra got to her feet and stretched out her left arm. She was still a little sore from her swim practice.

Anyway. She looked at the time again. 7:24. She might be a bit early, but that was ok. Korra shook out her legs a bit, and then walked out of the university. The sun was no longer so high in the sky, and it was actually getting to be a bit chilly. Korra put on her Water Tribe! sweater. 

“Thank the spirits I let dad give me this sweater.”

She hugged her arms around herself as she walked, feeling cozy and snug inside the thick sweater. It came even more in handy as she waited for the bus. The damned driver took like 10 minutes to arrive - she would have frozen her ass off if not for the sweater. 

Finally, the bus did arrive, pulling up to the RCU bus stop with the electronic purr that all Future Industries tech had. Some people claimed the FI vehicles didn't actually sound like that and the noise was just created artificially to sell the brand, but Korra liked to think that wasn't the case. It would suck if something that cool was just another prop. 

The bus doors slid open silently, and a wave of hot air washed out. Korra couldn't help but smile a bit at the feeling. She found a seat in the back corner of the bus, and sat down with her bag on her lap. Korra put one of her earbuds in her ear, and held the other one in her hand, twisting around one finger. Not for the last time, Korra looked on in awe as the skyline of Republic City rolled past through the window. It was so different from the little village in the South where she had spent most of her life. It was so exciting. Coming to Republic City University was a decision she had never regretted. 

Korra stopped taking in the sights of a city after a while, and took a look at her reflection. She readjusted the tie on one of her ponytails, and aimed a bright smile (accompanied by finger guns) at the window. She felt kind of silly, but surely no one was watching her. After a quick glance around to make sure, she flexed in front of the window too. 

“Not bad, Korra.”

After satisfying her own ego, she went back to looking out the window, the tips of her ears ever so slightly red as she cringed over what she had just done. _Ughh, flexing at my reflection. I’m turning into Kuvira!_

Korra watched the streets whizzing past a bit more, soothed by the gentle hum of the bus and the rhythmic tones of her music. Eventually she saw the Republic City Soccer Stadium coming up ahead, so she hit the “request stop” button on the bus. Bolin’s house was only a few blocks away from the stadium. 

A minute later, the bus purred to a stop at a glass bus stop, and Korra hopped out. She pulled out her phone.

-Korra: almost there 

-Bolin: cool. Jinora just arrived.

-Bolin: she brought some pizza for you.

-Korra: hell yea!

What the hell, it had been almost two hours since she had her burger at Mike’s. So what if she was hungry again? A girl’s gotta eat! She walked up the front of Bolin’s apartment and stepped in.

“Hey there, Joe. Just dropping by to see Bolin.”

“Hello, Korra. I’ll call up to let him know.”

“That’s alright,” said Korra, causing the elderly doorman’s hand to pause above the desk phone. “I already texted him.”

Joe nodded and waved her on through. She heard him muttering about ‘young people and their new-fangled inventions’ as she got into the elevator. She heard the familiar elevator music began to play as the elevator (which might have been even older than Joe) laboriously climbed up the shaft. She counted easily ten seconds between every floor. Which was an improvement. Someone must have put some oil in the gears or something.

Finally, the elevator came to a stop on the 9th floor. Korra breathed deep, smelling the unmistakable scent of hot pizza as she exited the elevator. The smell led her right to apartment 9b. She knocked on the door.

Bolin’s cheery voice echoed out from behind the door. “Korra? C’mon in!”

Korra opened the door and took off her shoes, placing them carefully on a worn out carpet. Bolin’s house was… cozy. And run down. But mostly cozy. It had a lived in feel that her own dorm room lacked. Something about the saggy furniture covered in blankets and pillow, the coffee table stacked high with documents, the kitchen full of food, and the torn and stained carpets and curtains put any visitor at ease. As did Bolin himself. 

Bolin managed to extricate himself from the deep recesses of his chair, and swept Korra up in a hug.

“Hey!”

“Arighty, put me down you big oaf!” Korra laughed as he swung her through the air.

After a second he complied, placing her gently on the carpet. “I waited to start the pizza until you arrived. I know you think it’s sacred.”

Korra made a deep bow. “Thank you, Bolin. I would never have forgiven you if the pizza was damaged before I even got a sniff.”

“You act like you have the right of prima nocta for the pizza or something.” Jinora sounded as sassy as ever. Korra looked around for the other girl, but couldn't see her.

“It’s not a laughing matter! Show some reverence for your elders, Jinora. Where are you, anyway?”

“She’s in the kitchen. She wanted to videotape you seeing the pizza.” 

Jinora stepped out of the kitchen, her camera in hand. She rolled her eyes at Bolin. “He wasn’t supposed to mention the pizza. I was hoping you’d smell it out or something. Like a bloodhound.”

Korra pouted as she opened the steaming box. “I wouldn't do that. Anyway, enough about pizza - here yeah, I’ll just take that slice there - Barcelona vs Madrid is on.”

Bolin whooped and leapt onto the couch while Jinora groaned and claimed a recliner. Korra and Bolin settled in and began watching the game, while Jinora started scrolling through her Instagram. Korra stole one of Bolin’s slices of pizza. Everything was going well. Then, the doorbell rang. Korra froze. There was only one person it could be, and yet she still thought there was a chance. 

Bolin looked up at Korra and cringed. “Oh, uh, Mako’s here. Did I mention he’s spending the night?”

Korra closed her eyes. Shit. She really didn’t want this evening to end with a sour taste in her mouth. She really didn't want Mako to ruin it. Time to go before it all went south. Korra eyed the window. 

The door opened, letting light from the hallway spill into the dim apartment. Korra made a dive for her shoes and her bag. She hurriedly slung her bag over her shoulder and began hobbling towards the window, slipping on her shoes as she went.

“Are you crazy?” Hissed Jinora. “What the fuck are you doing??”

Korra mumbled an apology around a mouthful of shoe, and dived through the window, using her years of swim practice to execute a flawless dive into the fire escape. Unfortunately, her bag got caught in the window, and she got stuck halfway in and out of the window. Behind her, she heard the door swing fully open.

“Hey Bo, I’m home! I see you got the game pla- is that Korra?”

Fuck. 

With one final shimmy, Korra managed to slide through the window and onto the fire escape with a crash. After a second, she rolled over, hopped back up, and began sprinting down the rickety metal stairs. She heard her friend’s voice behind her.

“Nah, bro, that wasn't Korra.”

Let’s go Bolin! It was good to have a friend who had her back.

“Don’t listen to him, Mako. That was Korra.”

Goddamnit Jinora. 

“Who’s Korra?”

Korra froze, two stories below the open window. That wasn’t a voice she recognized. Hopefully whoever it was (it sounded like a woman) wouldn’t become a regular. It would be hard to have a worse first impression. It was probably just another one of Mako’s girlfriends. They’d be in for a month, and then out. Just like Korra.

“Korra’s a friend of theirs, Asami. I used to date her.”

The woman chuckled. “Looks like it didn't end well, if she was willing to go through a window to get away from you. Do I have something to worry about?”

Korra stopped listening to their conversation, and descended the rest of the way down the fire escape. She hopped down from the second story platform onto the street, landing with an oof. 

Well. Her night was officially ruined. She should probably catch a bus back to her dorm before it got even darker. Korra could defend herself, but, well, it was never a good idea to take chances. 

Korra got back to her shared apartment at around 9:30.

“Huh, the lights are off. Kuv’s usually home by now. I bet I know why…”

Korra swung her backpack off her shoulder and placed it onto the floor so she could rifle through it. After a quick search, she found her keys and unlocked the door. A wash of cold air blew out of the dark dorm, and Korra shivered. She missed Bolin’s flat already. 

Her phone buzzed. 

-Kuvira: Hey Kor, how long are you staying at Bolin’s?

-Korra: i’m back already. 

-Kuvira: Oh. Did something happen?

-Korra: mako showed up.

-Kuvira: And you just left? I thought you said you weren’t going to keep running from him.

-Korra: c’mon kuv, you know its more complicated than that. he had some other girl with him

-Kuvira: Well, he’s moved on. You should too. But by the spirits, stop moping about. It’s not like Mako was even all that great. You can do better. 

-Korra: yea, thanks kuv. way to make me feel better

-Kuvira. No problem.

-Korra: i was kidding

-Kuvira: I’ll make you feel better when I get back. 

-Korra: when will that be?

-Kuvira: late. U probably gonna b sleeping before i come back, so no tuk in for u tonight

-Korra: oh, did it go well with bataar then? hehe u thirsty dog, staying the night on the first date.

-Korra: what, no tuck in? meanie

Kuvira didn't respond, so after a second of waiting for the speech bubble to pop up, Korra put her phone away. She shivered again. Her dorm wasn’t as cold as the south pole could be, but at least she’d been bundled up there. And had proper insulation. She was just wearing her thin Water Tribe sweater and her even thinner sweatpants, which were pretty much useless to keep her warm at night in her essentially uninsulated dorm. I mean seriously, who constructs walls out of just wood and plaster in this day and age? 

“I guess I got what I paid for though…” Korra muttered. The landlady had essentially been willing to rent it out at any price as long as it was occupied and kept clean.

First thing’s first. Get warm. Korra walked over to the old thermostat and cranked it up to 78. From 57. Spirits. Then, Korra went into her room and quickly changed out of her thin sweatpants pants and into a onesie that Kuvira had bought her for her 19th birthday. Cocoa sounded really good right now. She put some milk in a pot and began heating it up while she fished around in the pantry for the cocoa mix. 

Eventually she found it, and after a few minutes of heating the milk, mixed it all together. The dorm was starting to get warm by now, so she took the onesie hood off and let her hair down. She sighed as she worked the ties out of her ponytail. Once again, she ran her fingers through her hair to loosen it out.

Korra took a spoonful of the cocoa and blew on it before tasting it. Just right! She turned off the stove and let it cool for a bit.

While the cocoa was cooling, Korra put her backpack on the table and pulled out her class binders. She had a lot of work to do tonight. Might as well get started. She worked for about half an hour, sipping her cocoa before she threw up her hands in frustration.

“Spirits, Korra, just focus! It’s not that hard! You’ve been in college for 2 years now! You can sit down and write a goddamn paper.” 

Eventually, Korra gave up and turned on the TV. She skipped through an ad for a new kind of Satomobile before settling on watching a soccer game. Barcelona vs. Madrid. The same one Bolin, Jinora, Mako, and that mystery girl were no doubt watching right now without her. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Would it have been so bad for her to have just stayed there? Is watching Mako display his new girlfriend worse than another cold night alone in the dorm? Korra shook her head after a moment. Of course it was. No question. She wished she hadn't embarrassed herself in front of the mystery girlfriend, though.

The rest of the night passed slowly. She watched a few different shows, and eventually mustered up the willpower to finish off the last of her work. At around one am, the door lock jiggled as someone fiddled with the key. Korra heard the dull thud of something hitting the floor followed by a muttered curse, and then the door swung open. Kuvira stepped through, struggling to put her keys back in her pocket as she balanced two different bags.

“Hey, shortcake. Still up?”

“Yeah. Too bored to fall asleep.”

Kuvira laughed as she put the bags on the counter and turned on the lights, causing Korra to scowl at the sudden brightness. “That doesn’t make any sense. If you’re so bored, you might as well get some rest.”

“I bet you haven't been having much rest tonight, eh Kuv? How’d it go?”

“For the last time shortcake. we didn’t do anything!” Korra raised an eyebrow, and Kuvira blushed. 

“Ok, maybe we did something.”

“Ohohohoh! Tell me more.”

“Well, we got some dinner. And he was a gentleman the entire time. He’s smart, funny, makes me feel smart too…”

“-Kuvira! You’ve really got it this time, huh? I’ve never seen you talk about a boy this way before. Has someone finally claimed your stony, ice cold heart?”

Kuvira gave Korra a swat on the top of her head. “Be quiet if you have nothing smart to say, you little scamp.”

Korra kept teasing Kuvira for a little longer, but she didn’t have the motivation for a real taunting session. Her heart just wasn’t into it tonight. Eventually, the two of them stopped talking, and just settled down on the couch, buried under a thick woolen blanket. Korra went back to watching TV while Kuvira browsed through Instagram. At about two in the morning, Korra got out from underneath the mound of pillows and blankets and headed to her room. Kuvira had fallen asleep on the couch, so Korra pulled the blanket over her. 

She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a pee before going out for the night. After spitting out the water, she splashed some on her face and looked in the mirror. She shot finger guns at herself, and gave the mirror her best smile, thinking back to when she had done the same thing on the bus hours earlier. But it felt more forced. After a second of awkwardly grinning at the mirror, she dropped the act. Seeing Mako with his new girlfriend had gotten under her skin more than she realized, it seemed. 

She scowled. Mako was such a dickwad. Even a year after their break up, he never failed to make her mad. Maybe Korra was a bad person, but seeing Kuvira so happy certainly wasn’t making her feel much better either. 

“Ughhh… time to go to sleep Korra. You’ll feel better in the morning.” 

Korra slapped one last dash of water over her face, and shuffled into her and Kuvira’s shared bedroom. She flopped on the bed. After what seemed like three hours of tossing and turning, she fell asleep.

\-----

Korra woke up to the sound of her phone alarm ringing. She groaned, rolled over, and groggily checked the time. 

“10:23. Fuck.”

She was going to be late to her class if she didn’t hurry! Korra practically fell out of her bed and stumbled towards the shower. She was in and out in five minutes (a feat she rarely pulled off), and had her clothes on in five more minutes. She just grabbed whatever was on the top in her drawers and threw it on. Korra paused long enough to grab a banana before rushing out the door.

She sprinted across campus to the Air Hall, struggling to zipper up her backpack as she went. Korra glanced down at her phone as she ran and checked the time. 10:38. She looked back up just in time to run smack into someone else’s back.

The other person fell down, papers flying everywhere. 

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you pick those up.” As Korra scrambled to pick up the other person’s papers, her own bag slipped off her shoulder and added to the mess. 

“Oh no! Oh man. Goddamnit! I’m so sorry. I just wasn’t looking where I was… where I was, um, where I was going. ” Korra trailed off as she met the eyes of the other person. Green, a shade lighter than Kuvira’s. Sparkling in the early morning light. And amused. 

“It’s quite alright. Mistakes happen, and you look like you just woke up, so I get it.”

Korra blushed. She looked like she had just woken up? She must seem like a dunce, disheveled and no doubt looking like a mess, running headfirst into other people, generally being an idiot. Another bad first impression.

“Oh yeah, haha. You’re right, I just got up. I must look awful.” She said weakly, standing up. “I’ll just be on my way now. I’ve got class.”

The other person stood up too, and met her eyes. “I don’t think you look that bad.”

Korra winced. ‘That bad.’ Well, it meant something coming from a person like that. Korra finally took a good look at her early morning victim. Tall, taller than her, with long black hair. White skin, green eyes, red lips. Put together. Even after being run over, she looked like she was ready to tackle any problem and look good doing it too. Korra realised she was staring and looked away, blushing. 

What was wrong with her? She felt light-headed. Must be because she started sprinting after getting up. Korra made a noise that could almost have resembled “gotta go” and spun around. She was halfway up the steps to Air Hall when she heard the other girl’s voice follow her. 

“I’m Asami, by the way!”

Korra was gonna shout her name back, but something stopped her. Asami. Asami. Where had she heard that name before? After a second, it clicked. Mako’s new girlfriend. She suddenly felt very glad she hadn’t said her name. The other girl would certainly have remembered her escape from Bolin’s flat last night, and Korra wanted that event to never come up again. Of course, she had to have made two consecutive bad impressions on Asami. It was so unfair. 

“How’d a schmuck like him land a girl like her?” Korra muttered under her breath, as she headed into the lecture room of Air Hall.

  
  
  



	2. Second Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami can't stop thinking about how she treated Korra, and is determined enough to make up that she invites her out for a drink of coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, well, I may keep updating this.

  
Chapter 2

Asami carefully fed her homework assignments into their folders, and made sure they were all neat before tidying it all up and inserting it into her backpack. She finished putting on her shoes, her most comfortable pair of heels, and picked up a light jacket. Asami put the jacket on, quickly followed by the backpack, and stepped out of her room. She walked down the staircase, and went through a hallway before finally coming to a stop before the door of the Sato mansion. She pushed it open and walked through.

Her father had raved about the convenience of continuing to live at home because it was just a few blocks away from the Republic City University. He was determined that she would remain there during her college tenure, in no small part to ensure she stayed out of 'funny business', she suspected. Her father was well-intentioned, but still quite old fashioned.

Asami knew she should be grateful that she was lucky enough to be born into the Sato family, Grateful that she got to live in the lap of luxury, surrounded by all she should desire. But, undeniably, she found that she would prefer to live in Bolin’s apartment.

She halted her thoughts as she crossed the street, making sure to check in both directions for cars before making the cross.

Her musing picks back up. She would rather live in something homey, loved and lived in than in the cold, austere luxury of the Sato Mansion. She wouldn’t want to live in Bolin’s actual apartment, exactly. But she would like one like it. Something she could call just hers, shared with maybe someone special.

Everyone needed to find someone special in their lives. If she hadn't believed that when she was little, watching her father’s deterioration after the death of her mother would have convinced her. You needed another half. She frowned. No matter how hard she tried, Mako’s face just wasn’t coming to mind at the thought of a partner.

She backtracked, and continued her previous train of thought as she waved at a student she recognized from one of her classes.

You needed to find someone special who made you feel - !! -

She was interrupted by an impact from behind that knocked her right over, and sent the papers she had carefully put in her bag flying all over the pavement.

After a second of shock, Asami got back to her feet and looked at the asshole who had knocked her over.

“Oh no! Oh man. Goddamnit! I’m so sorry. I just wasn’t looking where I was… where I was, um, where I was going.”

Asami blinked. Well, they certainly didn’t seem like an asshole. Assholes wouldn't be so apologetic. Asami took in the blue eyes with bags underneath them, the tan skin, the dark hair framing an apologetic face. She felt all her annoyance flow out of her, replaced by a desire to reassure whoever this girl was. The other girl was on her hands and knees, frantically fixing Asami’s papers.

“It’s quite alright. Mistakes happen, and you look like you just woke up, so I get it.”

Asami cringed. Not very polite, Asami! There was no need to come off as rude. The other girl blushed, no doubt embarrassed about Asami insulting how she looked.

“Oh yeah, haha. You’re right, I just got up. I must look awful.” Said the other girl, as she picked up her bag and finished cleaning up Asami’s stuff. “I’ll just be on my way now. I’ve got class.”

Asami clenched a fist. She had scared her off! Classic Asami. Could she still save this situation? She didn’t want to come off as a jerk.

“I don’t think you look that bad,” she tried.

It didn’t work. Asami could have hit herself. First telling her that she looked like she just woke up, and then saying she didn’t look “that bad.” What was she doing? The other girl probably thought she was a bitch.

The other girl mumbled something and dashed off. By the time Asami had shouted her name after her, she was already halfway up the stairs to the Air Hall. The other girl froze for a second, bag draping off on shoulder, before sending her another quick look, and disappearing inside the building.

“Goddamnit, Asami. Can’t you make a good first impression for once?”

It should have been easy. Say it’s no problem she ran into you, and introduce yourself. But instead Asami had come off like the asshole in the situation - insulting someone who just accidentally ran into her. She gripped her backpack tightly, and entered the Earth Hall for her engineering class.

The first period passed quickly. Or rather, it just seemed like a blur. Which was unusual, because she normally loved engineering. She just couldn’t stop replaying the encounter with that girl in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more sure she was she owed the other girl an apology. Maybe she should offer to treat her to coffee to make it up to her?

Yes, that’s what she would do. As soon as her class ended, she would ask around to find out who she was. But where to start? She barely knew anything about her. All she could remember was shockingly blue eyes. Honestly, one of the prettiest shades she had ever seen. Reminded her of the ocean.

She realized she had been tapping her fingers against her desk for five minutes now. Sheesh, she was distracted. Asami felt like a bad person, is all. And once she had taken the other girl out to coffee, she would feel better. Maybe this would be a chance to make a new friend.

Her mind wandered back to Bolin’s apartment. She’d had a great night. Bolin was as nice as Mako had told her he would be. Jinora was fun too. They’d had a great time watching TV, eating dinner, and playing a board game together. The only weird thing about the whole experience was the girl who vanished out of the window (of a ninth floor apartment building!) when she arrived. Bolin, Jinora, and even Mako had been reluctant to elaborate more on who the mysterious Korra was. She’d actually been kind of weirded out that one of Mako’s ex girlfriends had been chilling at Bolin’s without Mako knowing. Or that she still seemed to be friends with all of Mako’s friends. Though, now that she thought about it, it seemed like Jinora was more of Korra’s friend than Mako’s.

But what had really weirded her out was the fact that one of Mako’s ex’s had been willing to go through a window and escape via the fire stairs just to get away from him. She certainly wouldn’t do that just to get away from Iroh. Maybe they’d had a messy breakup.

Everyone around Asami was standing up and putting books and papers into their bags. Asami blinked. She hadn't even noticed the class being dismissed. She hurriedly put her stuff back into her backpack (a simple task, since she hadn't used any of them), and headed out the door. Something was wrong with her today. She had never zoned out of an entire class before.

Mako was leaning against the wall of the hallway outside the lecture hall, waiting for her. “Hey, ‘Sami! How was class.”

Asami smiled when she saw him. “Hey Mako. Uh, good! Very interesting. Professor Beifong gave a very interesting lecture today. He definitely knows his stuff.”

“Yeah, you always say that. Anyway, I was thinking we get a bite to eat? There's a new place I think is great. Mike’s! Apparently it's a campus classic.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, Mako. I’m not really that hungry, though. Why don’t we wait till lunch hour to go?”

Mako’s stomach rumbled, barely audibly, and he gave her a smile. “Alright, that’s fine. I’ll get something to eat first at the cafeteria, then.”

“You don’t have class until two o clock, right?” Asami knew that Mako’s classes were mostly on Wednesday through Friday.

“Starts at four, actually. Why don’t I walk you to economics?”

Asami nodded, and took his hand when he offered it. He pulled her towards the Fire Hall, talking away about something. She still felt kind of zoned out. Mako squeezed her hand.

She looked up at him. He smiled at her. “Asami?”

“Yeah?”

“I asked you if you had fun last night.”

“Huh?”

“At Bolin’s.” Mako frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Bolin’s? Ah, I had a great time. It was really fun. Bolin is super sweet.”

Mako grinned. “I always told you! And how about Jinora?”

“She was cool, too.”

“Don’t pass it on, but I think part of the reason Bolin is so eager to invite Jinora every time is because he hopes she’ll bring Opal with her.”

“Who’s Opal?”

Mako’s expression soured. “She’s one of Korra and Jinora’s friends.”

Asami was about to ask more, but she realized Mako wasn’t in the mood to talk about that further.

Mako changed the subject. “Remember when Bolin dropped a whole slice of pizza facedown on the couch?”

He imitated the noise the pizza had made. “Squelch! What a mess.”

Asami couldn’t help but laugh at his antics. “Luckily there were already stains over the whole couch!”

Mako stopped laughing in an instant. “Yeah well, Bolin doesn’t have twenty maids to clean everything up for him.”

“Uh, what? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that I’m sorry our apartment isn’t up to your standards.”

“What are you talking about, Mako? That’s not what I meant.”

Mako looked even angrier. “Then what did you mean?”

“I was just joking around. You know I loved Bolin’s apartment”

Asami felt blindsided by Mako’s anger. She knew he was taking what she said the wrong way, but she didn’t know why. Maybe something else was bothering him. “Is everything alright, Mako?”

“Yes, everythings alright!” He looked like he was about to yell at her again, but instead he took a deep breath and calmed down a bit.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. That was unfair. It’s just… well, you’re so rich. You have everything you could ever want. And me and Bolin are sharing a little old run-down uptown shack on the ninth floor. I don’t know, just hearing you insult our apartment made me mad.”

“I didn’t mean to insult it.”

Mako kept talking, unfazed. “Point is, Bolin and I have had to work hard to even get that. You don’t know what that’s like, so it stings to hear you talk about Bolin’s apartment that way. Like it's a grungy shithole compared to your mansion.”

Now Asami felt herself getting angry. “You think I haven’t had to work hard? You think I have everything I want?”

Mako raised his hands. “Well, I just mean you haven’t had to work like Bolin and I had to.”

“Is that what you think of me? Someone who just coasts by and doesn’t need to work because she has a rich daddy?”

Mako looked guilty, but he didn’t deny it. Asami backed away from him. “I’ve had to work hard to get where I am, Mako. I continue to work hard every day! And I don’t have everything I want!”

“Really? What don’t you have, then?”

“A boyfriend who likes me for who I am! Turns out, you don’t even know me, Mako!”

She turned around and ran into the Fire Hall for her economics class, feeling sick. Part of her hoped that Mako would run after her and ask her to stop, say that he was sorry, that he didn’t mean it, that he loved her. But the other half of her was just glad she didn’t have to get lunch with him anymore.

\--------  
Asami spent her next class thinking over her encounter with the girl from earlier, and thinking over her argument with Mako. She was eventually forced to come to two conclusions. Firstly, she had realized the primary emotion she had felt after their fight had been relief, followed shortly by anger, and then in third place, hurt. Based on that she had concluded, secondly, that she should probably break up with Mako. It was clear he didn’t think very highly of her. And even if he fully apologized, and it turned out it had all been a big misunderstanding, she didn’t like this side of Mako she had glimpsed. She’d seen hints of it before, but seeing him get so angry over nothing had given her shivers.

Asami felt a lingering mess of emotions in her stomach. The day had begun badly, continued poorly, and wasn’t looking like it would shape up any time soon. And she had made no progress on finding out who that girl had been. To be fair, she had been too distracted by Mako to put much effort into it.

Once her class ended, she went to the cafeteria and ate alone. She could have looked for some of her friends, but she wanted a little solitude. And s definitely didn't want to hang around any of Mako’s friends right now, either. Her food was tasteless, but she scarfed it all down.

Her last class of the day was a history class in Air Hall, taught by Master Tenzin. Normally, Asami found the class a little boring, but today it was resonating with her. Master Tenzin was going over an ancient Water Tribe myth.

“The ancient tribesmen believed deeply in the spirituality and balance of water. They believed that the ocean was holy, that it was a reservoir of spirituality. Many modern practices of meditation have evolved from the Water Tribe “waterbending” meditation, which was a closer to a style of martial arts focused around smooth movements, ebb and flow, and balance.”

Tenzin queued up a slide showing another elderly teacher, Katara. “My own mother, Katara has practiced this waterbending technique for years.”

A video played showing Katara moving in sure motions, swaying back and forth. She looked calm and balanced despite her old age.

Master Tenzin moved to the next slide. “But even if you didn’t practice waterbending, the ancient Water Tribesmen believed that just the presence of water can bring balance to your soul. So, if you are feeling unhappy, conflicted, or unbalanced, I recommend seeking out a body of water.”

“Why not?” Muttered Asami to herself. She thought of the campus pool. It was probably empty in the middle of the day - all swimming practices were later. “Couldn’t hurt.”

And at this point, she’d do anything to get her mind off of Mako and off of the incident from earlier today. The two things were all she could think about.

Tenzin’s lecture concluded 10 minutes later, and he decided to let them out early. Asami usually talked to him for a bit after class, but today she just waved goodbye and headed out. She didn’t really want to talk to anyone she knew right now. She just wanted to think for a while.

She walked out of the Air Hall and walked down the main campus path, following it until she got to the athletic facilities. Asami hesitated outside the doorway to the facility. She had never been in before.

Asami liked to stay in shape, but she didn’t exactly play any sports. Eventually she decided to stop loitering, and pushed the doors open and walked through. There were a lot of other students inside milling about, hanging out next to their lockers or chatting. The air smelled like sweat and chlorine.

Asami hugged the wall to avoid a cohort of bro dudes as they came out of the gym, dressed nearly identically with shorts, tank tops, and a towel around their uniformly beefy shoulders. One of them in front checked her out as he passed, and gave a low whistle. Asami rolled her eyes as they walked past her, laughing to themselves. Assholes.

She saw a sign with an arrow and a diagram of a pool on the wall in front of her. Asami started walking in the direction indicated. The sign was repeated on the wall a few times, before pointing her around the corner. The smell of chlorine was stronger now, and parts of the floor were wet. There was one of those plastic yellow things indicating a wet floor over a nearby puddle. Three students ran past Asami, laughing, and one hopped over it.

Asami paused right before the hallway corner. This really wasn’t what she had been imagining. She had thought she would be alone here because practice wasn’t on, but evidently not. The athletic facility was full of rowdy athletes, unsurprisingly. She massaged the bridge of her nose. There was no way she was gonna get anything remotely meditative out of this.

She was just about to turn around when she heard the sound of two voices conversing.

“And then what? He asked you out, right there?” Asami’s head jerked up. She recognized that voice!

“Yeah. He did. He even had flowers.” Asami didn’t recognize the second voice, though. She leaned against the corner and kept eavesdropping. Well, not eavesdropping. Just happened to be listening while in the same area. Ok, maybe eavesdropping. But she was certain this was the girl from her morning accident. This was her chance to apologize. She continued to hover behind the corner, listening.

“Wow, so romantic! Who knew Bruhtaar had it in him?”

“It’s Baatar, you clown. I know you know his name.”

“Hoho, already getting defensive about your newest boytoy, are we Kuv?”

Asami heard a smack followed by giggles.

“Bataar is not a ‘boytoy,’ you degenerate. He’s a gentleman.”

“My my, it’s like you’re a different person. I’ve never heard you call someone a gentleman before. I’m dying to meet this Bataar, who tamed the wild Kuvira!”

“Yeah right, like I’ll ever let you meet him! Ten minutes with you, and he’ll never want to show his face around either of us again.”

“C’mon, Kuv, I’d be nice. I’m nice!”

Asami gulped. The two of them sounded like they were getting closer. What should she do? They were probably too close for her to make a break for it. They sounded like they would turn around the corner any second now. If they saw her leaning against the wall, clearly eavesdropping on them, Asami would be screwed. She was certain this was the girl from earlier in the day, and she didn’t want to ruin her first real meeting with her.

Asami was torn between running away now, and listening for a second longer. She didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping. She didn’t want to get caught running away from eavesdropping. And she didn’t want to run away before at least hearing the other girl’s name. ‘This ‘Kuvira’ might say her name any moment now. It was normal for people to say other people’s names in conversation, right? If Asami at least found out her name, she’d be able to find her later, at a better time.

Asami took a breath and centered herself like her father had taught her. What’s wrong with you, Asami? You’ve introduced yourself to the wealthiest woman in the world at your fathers parties. How could this be scarier than that? Just walk around the corner, and say hello. It should be easy. It would be easy. So why did she feel so nervous?

Her hands were clenched tightly. She felt torn between a bevy of bad choices, all overlaid on confusion that she was freaking out this badly over something so simple. She hesitated, on the verge of walking around the corner or running away. She took a breath, and in one movement, stepped around the corner.

And collided for the second time with the girl. Both of them said ‘oof’ at the same time, and stumbled back.

Asami was gasping a little bit - the impact with the other girl had been pretty heavy - though the other girl in question seemed completely fine. More than fine, amended Asami as she took a good look.

The other girl (and her friend, a tall girl who looked like a textbook jock) both appeared to have come straight out of swimming practice. They had a sort of post-workout glow. The girl couldn’t have looked more different from how she had looked in the morning.

In the morning, she had looked harried, tired, and frazzled. She’d looked like, well, she had just woken up and rushed out the door. Now, she looked confident, muscular, and undeniably striking. The change was so drastic Asami almost thought it was the wrong girl. The only reason she knew it wasn’t was because the voice and the eyes were the same. She wouldn’t forget those eyes.

The eyes in question were currently sizing her up. Asami blushed a little bit, and stood straighter. “Uh, sorry about that. That’s twice we’ve run into each other in one day.”

“Yeah, funny how those things happen.”

“I’m sorry, who is this?” Cut in the girl’s friend, moving to stand between the two of them.

“No one, Kuv. I just ran into her this morning on the way to class.”

Asami winced at the ‘no one,’ though she wasn’t sure why. It’s not like they actually knew each other. But she was trying to fix that. Asami pushed forward.

“Yeah, about that. I’d like to apologize for how I acted this morning. I’m sure I must have come off as a bitch, and I didn’t mean to. I was hoping to apologize.

The other girl looked confused. “This morning? I didn’t think you were a, um, bitch. It was my fault - I’m the one who ran into you, not the other way around.”

“Well, I kind of insulted you. And I didn’t mean to. Plus, I just ran into you now, so we’re even. But still, I sort of feel like I owe you a coffee? Can I take you out for a quick drink just to make up?”

The other girl studied her for a second, before nodding with a slight blush. “Uh, sure. Yeah, I’d like that. Why don’t you give me your number, and we can meet up after I’m done changing. I’m Korra, by the way.”

“I’m Asami.” Said Asami, instinctually, before cringing. “I mean, you already know that.”

Asami quickly wrote her contact information into Korra's phone.

“Yeah. See ya, Asami.” Korra gave her one more smile before following Kuvira past Asami, and down the hallway.

Asami let out a breath as she heard Korra and Kuvira talking inaudibly as they walked off. Whew! It hadn't happened flawlessly, but she had done it. She had apologized, and she had successfully invited the other girl out to a make up drink of coffee. Mission objectives: complete. Now she could finally get this whole incident out of her head. She would make sure the other girl didn’t think she was a bitch, she would make things right. And then she wouldn’t be so distracted.

She thought of Mako again. Of his grin. Of how he had looked while yelling at her. Her stomach clenched. She thought of Korra’s bright blue eyes as she walked back out of the athletic facility. Yes, she was growing ever certain that coffee with Korra was going to be good for her, that it was gonna be just the thing to turn this bad day around. Or maybe not. But Asami found herself already looking forward to the coffee.

On the topic of Mako… why did the name Korra sound familiar? She thought about it for a second before jerking upright. This was the girl who had made an exodus out the window last night! Oh spirits. That could make things so awkward if it came up. Better to just pretend she had forgotten that Jinora had told her that was Korra. But maybe Korra didn’t know Jinora had told Asami and Mako. Eh, far better to play it safe than risk making it awkward. Her mind made up, Asami started to walk in the same direction Korra and Kuvira had taken to exit the building.

Once Asami exited the athletic facility, she found she had nothing more to do. Asami had a bunch of friends, but none of them were really that close. She didn’t want to meet up with any of them right now. Eventually, Asami wound up heading towards the library. Asami had found a little alcove in the back of the library where she liked to work, so she headed there now.

She plopped her bag up on the table, took out her books, plugged in her headphones, sent her father a text saying she would be home a bit later today, and started to work. She worked solidly for about an hour before her phone vibrated. She picked it up.

-929-843-6579: hey Asami? it’s korra

-Asami: Hey Korra!

She quickly added a new contact for Korra.

-Korra: so where were you thinking of getting coffee?

-Asami: I was thinking we could go to Kareem Koffee. Cheesy name, I know, but they have great mochas.

-Korra: sounds good. is it close by?

-Asami: Sort of. It's about a mile from campus. Want me to drive you?

-Korra: nah thats alright, ill find it. you can get there by train right?

-Asami: Yeah, it’s right next to a station.

Had it been too forward to offer to take Korra there? The other girl probably just wanted to get coffee quickly and get it over with. After all, Asami had kind of forced this on her. If Asami was in Korra’s position, she probably wouldn't want to get in a car with someone who had ran into her and then insisted they get coffee.

Asami felt a little stupid. Why did she suggest a place so far away? She should have just said they could go to the campus coffee spot. Asami had just wanted to get some good coffee. She had thought treating Korra to something extra nice would be a good way to apologize and maybe start off a friendship.

Whatever. What was done, is done. She packed up her stuff quickly, exchanged the headphones for a pair of earbuds, and left the library. The sun was still pretty high in the sky. A gentle wind rustled through the campus shrubbery. It was a beautiful day, basically all you could want from an october afternoon. It was just warm enough that Asami didn’t think she would need her jacket.

She walked down the main campus path and through the gates. After a short walk, she was back in front of the Sato Manor. She walked around the side, past her workshop and into the garage. She had a custom Satomobile waiting for her, jacked up on one side with her tools spread out right where she had left them underneath it last night. The only one of its kind, Asami had painstakingly designed and built it herself last summer. Her father had used the model as a prototype for his next line of luxury satomobiles. Well, prototype was the wrong word. His line had basically been completely based off of Asami’s design.

Asami walked past her custom Satomobile and into a more standard version she kept for herself. She usually didn’t want to flaunt her wealth or indicate she was Hiroshi Sato’s daughter, so she used this Satomobile for most occasions. Of course, it was still a convertible. Girls gotta have style. She pulled open the door and slid into the drivers side

She turned the key, and enjoyed the simulated ratchety sound the key made as it turned, as well as the textbook humming sound of a Satomobile turning on. She had worked with the marketing team to design the sounds that had become part of the Sato brand.

The garage slid open with the press of a button, and Asami drove out onto the street. A few minutes later, (the traffic was light today) and she was outside of Kareem Koffee. No sign of Korra, but that made sense. It was generally faster to take the train, but when there was no traffic it was hard to compete with a Satomobile.

Asami stayed in the driver's seat, letting the car idle outside of Kareem’s Koffee while she waited for Korra to show up. She scrolled through instagram for a while. Still no Korra. She exchanged some quick texts with a few of her friends who were talking about a massive assignment Lin Beifong had just unloaded on them for Criminology. Still no Korra.

Finally, Asami caved and sent Korra a text.

-Asami: Where are you?

Two minutes passed, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach, Asami was starting to believe she had been blown off. Just as she was about to head back home, her phone buzzed

-Korra: sorry, i’m still in the subway. no service. i can only text u in the stations, barely even got time to send this

This was followed by another text three minutes later.

-Korra: i’m completely lost by the way.

Asami smiled a bit, and typed out a quick reply.

-Asami: Lost? It’s two stops away!

-Korra; :((( don’t make fun of mee! i usually take the bus :(

Asami giggled to herself.

-Asami: I’m sorry! I didn’t want to hurt your feelings three times in one day! Howabout this - you tell me where you are, and i’ll tell you how to get here. And I'll pay for your coffee to make up for all the trouble.

-Korra: ur so cruel. fine. we have a deal.

Korra was surprisingly easy to text with. And funny, too. Asami felt a smile come unbidden to her lips as she reread the texts while waiting for Korra to send her location. The other girl finally did, and Asami gave some quick directions. She was confident Korra should be here in a few minutes if she followed them. Sure enough, she spotted the other girl jogging up the street five minutes later, looking around for Kareem’s Koffee.

Asami waved. “Over here, Korra.”

The other girl looked around at the sound of Asami’s voice, until she locked eyes on her. Asami felt a tingle on her spine. The other girl started jogging in her direction. She stopped on the curb next to Asami’s satomobile, and leaned over the door with her forearms resting her forearms on the open window frame.

“Hi, Asami.” She gestured over her shoulder at Kareem’s Koffee. “Is this the place?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s the place.” Asami felt a little flustered by Korra’s boldness. Her friends were not normally so… self assured. She brushed off the feeling, and led Korra into the coffeeshop. Or Koffeeshop. They found a nice little table by a window, and sat down. The menus were on the table before they got there, but Asami already knew what she wanted to order. Asami was grateful for the time the other girl needed to peruse the menu, because she had no idea how to start the conversation. What did she even want to say? Her mind was only giving her stupid answers like say “you have really pretty eyes,” or “You look nice today.” All stupid. She didn’t even know why she was thinking that.

Finally she found a safe option. “I recommend the Kareem’s Koffee.”

The other girl met her eyes above the menu she was holding. “Is it good? Where is it?”

Korra held her menu out to Asami, and Asami trailed her finger up and down it while she looked for the Kareem’s Koffee. She finally found it, and rested her finger right below the menu entry. “Right there.”

The other girl leaned closer to get a better look at the entry, and readjusted her hold on the menu. Their hands brushed together.

“Fire Nation Coffee beans, vanilla extract, nutmeg, whipped cream? Sounds really good. Thanks for the recommendation. What are you getting?”

“Same thing, actually. I was thinking ‘if I think it’s good, you might too.’ And trust me, you will like it. I promise this Koffee won’t let you down.”

Korra giggled. “Wow, you sure are serious about coffee.”

“Of course I am. Coffee is important. Good coffee is necessary to properly start off a good day.”

“You know Kuvira says something like that a lot.”

“Kuvira was that other girl with you, right?”

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“She didn’t seem very friendly.”z

“Ah, that’s just her persona. She’s much sweeter once you get to know her.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter coming up to take their order. They both ordered a Kareem’s Koffee, and Asami got a side of biscuits as well.

“Yeah, as I was saying, Kuvira’s much nicer once you get to know her. You just gotta get past the cold, frigid, angry exterior. Not many people take the time though. And I think she prefers that. Except…” Korra trailed off.

“Except what?” Asked Asami.

“Well, recently she’s started to talk to this new guy. Bataar Jr.”

“Oh I know him. That’s Suyin’s son. I’m in engineering with him.”

Korra’s eyes lit up. “Oh wow! You’ve gotta tell me about him. I’ve been dying to know more but Kuvira won't tell me anything.”

Asami pretended to consider it. “I don’t know, Korra. I feel like that might be betraying Kuvira’s trust.”

Korra’s face fell. “Really? Am I being a bad person?”

“I’m just kidding around! I’ll try to talk to him so we can find out what kind of guy he is.”

The two of them continued to chat for five minutes before their coffee and biscuits came. Korra loved the Kareem’s Koffee, just as Asami predicted. She also sneakily stole one of Asami’s biscuits, which Asami pretended not to notice.

Asami had worried that it would be awkward, or that it would be hard not to bring up the event’s of Bolin’s apartment, but she found that it was the easiest thing in the world to talk to Korra. So much so that when she finally checked the time, almost an hour and a half had passed.

“Shit! We’ve been talking for too long! It’s already 5:45.”

Korra jumped up too. “I’ve gotta get to swim practice! Oh no, I’m gonna be late.”

“I can drive you, if you want. It’s in the direction of my house anyway.” Said Asami as she motioned for the waiter to bring the check.

“Thanks, Asami. I’d appreciate that. You’re the best!”

“Don’t mention it. It’s what friends do.”

Asami paused after the word friend, looking across the table to see if the word was reciprocated. Korra flashed a big grin at her.

“You're so morally upstanding, Asami. I’m inspired by your goodness.”

Asami blushed a bit. “Shush, you flatterer. Just buttering me up so I’ll still pay for your Koffee.”

Korra’s blue eyes widened innocently. “What? No way! I would never.”

The waiter arrived with the check. Asami gave him her card. He returned a moment later.

“Alright ladies, you’re good to go. Can I just say, you two are the cutest couple I’ve seen all day.” The waiter gave them a smile.

They exchanged a glance, suddenly feeling awkward. Asami spoke up first. “We aren’t a couple.”

Korra nodded. “Just friends.”

The waiter’s grin froze. “Oh. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make things awkward.” He cleared his throat. “Well, ah, you two have a nice day, now.”

Asami nodded awkwardly, and the two girls hustled out of the restaurant, and into Asami’s convertible. The shadowy cloud of awkwardness soon passed, and they were quickly back to laughing and chatting easily.

All too soon, Asami was slowing down outside of RCU. She wished Korra goodbye, and waved at the other girl once she was out. Korra waved back. Asami felt a warm feeling in her chest. The whole experience had filled her with a good feeling she was sure nothing could damage.

Her phone buzzed.

-Mako: Hey Asami. I’m really sorry about how I treated you today. I got mad for no reason, and then insulted you when I apologized. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Can I have a second chance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if I'm too on the nose. I try to sprinkle in Korrasami moments, but I'm a new writer and I'm not very good at subtlety. Does it feel like I'm hitting you over the head with it, or is it ok?


	3. Good vibes and bad feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra reflects on her (almost) date with Asami, and thinks about being friends with the other girl. Kuvira and Korra talk about the future a little bit in between mercilessly teasing each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for erratic publishing.

Korra couldn’t keep a grin off her face as she jogged towards her swim practice. That was fun! She’d been a bit apprehensive about having coffee with a total stranger at first, but spirits was she glad she had gone through with it. She had ended up really clicking with Asami. The other girl was funny, smart, easy to talk to, genuine… the list went on. Korra felt like she might already be becoming a top member of Asami’s fan club. 

And it was plain the other girl had one. You couldn’t be that perfect, and not be swarming with people who wanted to be friends with you as much as Korra did. And Korra wanted to be friends pretty badly. She’d never had such a good time just talking to someone before.

She pulled out her phone and checked it. 

6:10. 

Oh spirits. No way she was gonna make it swim practice on time. And Kuvira would be there, probably with an eyebrow raised and a bunch of questions about where she had been. Korra had a second of intense regret for all her teasing of Kuvira and Bataar. No way was Kuvira gonna let her go without the teasing of a lifetime when she found out she had been late to swim practice so she could hang out with her ex’s new girlfriend. 

Korra didn’t even know what kind of message that would send, but it wasn’t good, whatever it was. She had to think of an excuse on time. Could she say she had work? Kuvira would never buy she was so absorbed with her work that she’d been late to practice. Spirits, how  _ had _ the time slipped away from her like that? Korra was usually the type of person who checked the time pretty frequently, and wasn’t late to important things.

She picked up the pace a bit, scowling as she tried to think of excuses. Bus broke? Nah. Found a lost little kid? Maybe some potential there, but a bit too ridiculous. Mugged? In the middle of day, in the middle of town? Not likely. 

“Ughhh… Maybe I should just tell her?”

The memory of a night getting mercilessly teased the last time she had done something embarrassing surfaced. Korra had ended up putting a pillow over her head so she didn't have to listen to Kuvira tear her apart, which was foiled by the other girl tickling her until she nearly passed out. Korra shook her head vigorously. No. She wasn’t ready to face the music yet. She wasn’t quite out of options. 

Bolin. Bolin is always the answer. Sweet, reliable, kind Bolin. That’s right! She would just tell Kuvira that she had been hanging out with Bolin, and that he had beaten her in a game of Smash Bros or something. Yeah! Korra could say that she couldn’t leave until she beat him, but that Bolin had been unusually good. Kuvira might buy it. It was worth a shot, at least.

She burst through the doors of the athletic facility, flinging the doors aside and rushing towards the lockers. She got into her swimsuit in record time, and ran towards the pool. She could see the other girls swimming around, warming up with a few laps. Kuvira was in the water, but she wasn't doing laps like the other girls. She was watching the door. Waiting. Like a crocodile. A vicious grin covered her face as she saw Korra.

“Oh hey Korra! Where have you been? Been up to something?”

“Sorry, Kuv! I was just hanging out at… at Bolin’s....”

Korra trailed off weakly when she saw a familiar face in the stands. 

“Oh hey there Bolin. Umm, how’d you get here from your house where we were playing Smash Bros together so fast?”

Korra tried out one last hope. Maybe Bolin would get it and play along? She sent a quick prayer.

But no. Stupid, idiotic, useless Bolin missed the memo.

“What’s that, Korra? I’ve been here since practice started, thirty minutes ago. Opal asked me to come.”

Bolin smiled proudly at that last part. Normally, Korra would have wanted to know more, but now was not a good time. She wheeled around to look at Kuvira, who was looking positively evil.

She had nothing left in the tank. No more excuses. Time for option B - evasive maneuvering.

“Hey Coach Kya! Sorry I was late!”

And with that, Korra dived into the water and refused to answer Kuvira’s questions for the rest of the practice. 

Sadly, the other girl could be persistent. She was waiting for Korra outside of the locker rooms, a towel slung over her muscled shoulders. 

“Hey Korra. Good practice, eh. Those cardio exercises were killer, though.”

Korra looked at her blankly. “What cardio exercises?”

She realized her mistake a second late. Kuvira seized on the opening like a tiger. “You know. The cardio exercises. The ones we started out the lesson with. Oh wait, I forgot. You were late - you didn’t do them.”

Korra gulped. Here it came.

“What were you doing, by the way? What would you prioritize over the all-important swim practice?”

Kuvira was speaking in a joking tone, but Korra could see the genuine curiosity in the question. And she knew from experience that the other girl wouldn’t leave her alone until she caved and told her. Suddenly, Korra got hit by a ray of hope. Did Kuvira even know who Asami was? And even if she did, would she know that Asami was dating Mako? Probably not. This was no big deal after all. Korra could just tell her. What a relief. To think she’d been freaking out this much over nothing.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. I was hanging out with a girl named Asami. We grabbed some coffee and had a nice time. That’s all.”

Kuvira gave her a quizzical look. “That’s all? There’s gotta be something you’re not telling me. Firstly, the Korra I know wouldn’t miss swim practice for a cup of coffee. And besides, it’s not like you to lose track of time. And thirdly, why wouldn’t you just tell me right off the bat?”

Korra groaned internally. This girl was unbelievable. Some kind of mix of Sherlock Holmes and psychopath. Spirits.

“I dunno, Kuv. I was just having a really good time with Asami.”

Kuvira threw her hands up and enunciated with grave dramatics. “You can’t throw me off your trail, Kor! I won’t get jealous that you apparently had a better time with some girl than you would with me. I’ll never stop until I find out what you're hiding!” 

Korra giggled. When Kuvira started joking around like this, it was usually a sign she had let it go. For now. Korra was in the clear. 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Neverending vigilance and all that. This time, there’s really nothing more for you to find, Kuv. Just made a new friend.”

Kuvira gave her one last suspicious look, before grabbing her hand. “Anyway. Let’s go grab something to eat. I’m hungry after all that cardio. That you missed.”

“Spirits, Kuvira!” Korra smacked her friend on the ass. “It was just thirty minutes! People miss the start of practice all the time.”

“As the first and second best swimmers on the team, we have a grave responsibility, Korra. We cannot merely hold ourselves to the standards of other, inferior beings. We must be exemplars of swim team members!”

“Speaking of swim team members, why did Opal ask Bolin to come to swim practice with her?”

Kuvira shrugged as the two of them headed out of the athletics facility. “I don’t know. Maybe she likes him? I’m not as close to her as you are.”

“I’m not that close with her either, though I’d like to be. She’s really nice. We should ask Jinora if we really want to know. Jinora’s the closest with Opal, I think.”

“It doesn’t really matter to me, honestly. As long as Opal keeps her mile time consistent, I don’t care what she gets up to.”

“Yeah, you’ve got your own romance to attend to now, huh? Too many steamy dates with Bataar planned to worry about Opal and Bolin?”

Korra neatly dodged the wallop that came her way, having predicted it already. Kuvira aimed another one at her, but Korra was ready for that one too. After the third slap failed, Kuvira gave up and kept walking. With a bit of a sulk in her stride. 

The two girls sat down in the RCU cafeteria, and dug into burgers - the after class food being offered today. They were chatting affably together until Kuvira nudged Korra with an arm. 

“Hey look, it’s bitchboy. Man does he look pissed about something.”

Korra looked up from the remains of her third burger and saw Mako in the process of storming from one side of the cafeteria to the other. He had veins standing out on his forehead, and he was clutching his phone with a white knuckled grip.

“Whatever it is, I don't care. I’m done being involved with Mako.”   
  
Kuvira gave an approving nod at that, before turning back to her burger. She took a bite, before looking up at Korra.

“So. The Championship is in two months.”

Every four years, the best swimmers from each of the four nations plus Republic City met up for a grand swimming competition. The nation which won got a fair bit of prestige, and the actual winning swimmers got international acclaim and a hefty prize. Both Korra and Kuvira were going to be competing for Republic City.

They were serious contenders, and both of them had a fair chance of winning this year. Korra had put hours and hours into shaving mere seconds off her mile times, just to slightly improve her chances of winning, and she knew the other girl had as well.

“Yeah. It is. Are you nervous?”

Kuvira scoffed. “Of course not. I was just going to ask if you were going to bring anyone with you. I’m gonna invite Bataar.”

Korra scrunched up her brows as she thought. She didn’t really have anyone she wanted to invite. She had thought about inviting Bolin, but maybe she shouldn’t if his thing with Opal was finally starting to kick off.

“I don’t think I’ll bring anyone with me. My parents are gonna be there though, of course.”

Korra mentally kicked herself as Kuvira’s expression soured

“Well, Suyin isn’t coming. She just sent me a letter saying she’s proud of me.”

“Sorry, Kuv. At least that’s something.”

Kuvira snorted. “Might as well send nothing at that point. Her well wishes don’t mean much. Whatever. But Kor, we should start practicing even more. I know it was a one time thing, but if you're really serious about winning the Championship - and I know you are - you can’t afford to be missing the first quarter of any practices. We should probably start doing extra practices.”

Korra nodded. She knew the other girl was right. She didn’t know if Asami would want to see her again (She’d been a bit  _ too  _ forward and familiar when they had gotten coffee, and she worried it had been off-putting to the other girl) but even if she did, Korra would prioritize swim practice over coffee. She’d find other times to meet if she could. 

Korra refocused on the conversation. “How do you plan on finding time for extra practice? I’m pretty sure the pools are busy all day.”

“I asked Kya, and she said we could cut into the Junior Varsity team’s time in the months leading up the Championship. She even said she would give us private instruction.”

Korra raised an eyebrow. “Just us? Or the whole team?”

“Just us. We’re the only ones with a serious shot at winning on the team, anyway. Some of the other girls are pretty good, but not good enough.”

“We are the sole hope of Republic City.” Said Korra, widening her eyes and waving her hands for dramatic effect.

Kuvira nodded, dead serious. “Absolutely. I’m glad you grasp the importance of us performing well. The pride of our city is on the line.”

“Who’s representing Zaofu, by the way? Since you’re not there anymore.”

“Who cares? I don’t know. Nobody important.”

“Mhm.” Korra dug into her burger as the sound of Mako shouting into his phone reached a crescendo in the background. “I wish that guy would shut up and keep it to himself.”

“Yeah, right. It gets annoying hearing him always yelling. When it’s not whoever his most recent fool is -”

Kuvira insisted on calling all of Mako’s girlfriends “fools,” insisting that anyone who dated him had to be a fool. This had, and still did, include Korra.

“-It’s his boss or something. And always at maximum volume. It’s like the guy has no concept of privacy.”

The sound of Mako yelling receded blissfully into the distance. The two girls eventually wrapped up their lunch and stood. 

“Well, Kor. I’ll see you in the dorm. I’m gonna keep working on my project with Bataar.”

“Project. I’m sure. I’m excited to see it when you’re done. It must be truly impressive, considering the amount of ‘work’ you two spend on it. I’m sure I won’t be disappointed by the end result.”

Kuvira gave her an annoyed huff. “Yeah, keep doubting. Just cuz you like to ‘get down to business’ right away, if you know what I mean, doesn’t mean I do as well. Bataar and I have been working hard. And you will be impressed.”

Korra nodded seriously. “Of course. I’ll be blown away, I’m positive. Anyway, Kuv I’m gonna go hit the books. Have fun on your date.”

“Thanks.” Kuvira paused. “Korra! It’s not a date. Spirits, you're incorrigible.”

  
  
“Kuvira! Girl, spell incorrigible right now. All this time with Bataar is making you forget your roots! Us jocks don’t use words longer than 2 syllables, remember?”   
  


Kuvira rolled her eyes and stalked off, her bag slung over one shoulder. She waved one last hand in a goodbye to Korra before she vanished around the corner. Korra swept her burger wrapping into the trash and headed towards the RCU library. She had an essay to start on.

* * *

The sun had set ten minutes ago, and the campus street lights illuminated the campus roads in a dim light. Even though western parts of the sky were still light, it was basically night. Few people were still on campus - they were either in their dorms or out in Republic City clubbing. Korra enjoyed the solitude on her walk. The quiet reminded her of the snows of the South Pole, as did the slight chill in the night air.

She took a slow, ambling, indirect path to get to the library. As she meandered along, her thoughts wandered as well. There were a few things on Korra’s mind. Firstly, the championship. Although both her and Kuvira would be able to compete on the same team nominally - they would both be representing Republic City - in reality it was as much of an individual competition. 

Only one person would get the grand cash prize. Only one person would get the medal, and the international acclaim that came with being a championship victor. Was Korra prepared to take that from Kuvira? If it came down to her and the other girl, would she put herself first? She knew how badly Kuvira wanted to win. And she knew that, while she would never admit it, the other girl badly needed the cash. She wanted to start her own life out from under Suyin’s shadow, and she needed money to do that. Did Korra need the money as badly? No matter how she put it, the answer was “not really.” She was the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. Korra would likely never actually need money her entire life.

But still. Korra wanted to win, too. And she had her own reasons for needing to win. For one, she might not  _ need _ the money, but she wanted her own life too. Winning this was a crucial step in a swimming career. Other than swimming, Korra didn’t really have a career planned. She liked martial arts and had some interest in jobs where she could help people. But she would hate to end up behind a desk. And swimming was what she was really passionate about. So yes, she wanted to win. And, she didn’t think she owed it to Kuvira to lose for her. Korra didn’t think the other girl would even appreciate that sort of decision - she would be insulted that Korra had thought she needed the help - and she knew without a doubt there was no way Kuvira would lose on purpose to help Korra. It just wasn’t in her nature.

So - Korra eventually figured out the first thing on her mind. If it came down to it, she would be able to win no matter what. Korra was determined to try her hardest in the upcoming championship, no matter who she was up against.

Then, her mind drifted onto the next topic of thought. Asami. She still replayed the events of her coffee date with Asami in her head. It almost felt like it had happened to someone else. Korra wasn’t low on the social food chain by any means, but she wasn’t exactly popular either. She had a group of friends, and mostly just hung out with them. It just didn’t happen that a person like her had lunch with a person like Asami. 

The whole lunch had felt like some kind of dream. Asami had laughed at all her jokes - and Korra had never felt funnier than she had during that lunch - and appeared to be enjoying herself. Spirits, Korra had never been that smooth outside of dreams. She didn’t know what had come over her.

But something about Asami made her better. Something about Asami made her want to be outgoing and funny and witty and confident. Every time the other girl had smiled at her or responded to one of her jokes with a witty line, Korra had felt a little jump of happiness. One thing was clear to Korra as she reflected on it - she didn’t want this to be a one time thing. The opportunity to be friends with a person like Asami didn’t happen often, and Great Aunt Katara had always told her to take opportunities in both hands.

Korra jogged over the side of the campus path she was following to the library, and ran across the grass up to the base of a tree. She pulled her bag off her shoulder and dumped it on the ground, and then, with a hop and a grunt of effort, she pulled herself up onto a low hanging branch. Once she was seated comfortably, Korra pulled out her phone. 

She opened messages, and reopened her conversation with Asami. To her surprise there were three dots at the bottom, indicating that Asami was typing. She waited for a minute for the other girl to send her the message, but it never happened. Eventually, she shrugged. Maybe Asami had been about to send her something and left her phone on the table or something. But if Asami was about to text her, it was a pretty good sign that she also wanted to see more of Korra.

Korra let herself be optimistic about that one. She bit her lip, and quickly typed out a short message.

-Korra: hey asami! i really enjoyed our coffee earlier today. i was hoping you wanted to meet up again, if thats alright.

She hit send, and waited with baited breath. But Asami’s three dot’s didn't change, so after another minute of hesitant and hopeful waiting, she closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. 

With some careful maneuvering, she moved so that her back was leaning up against the tree. She relaxed and closed her eyes, taking in the sounds of the city. She could hear satomobiles moving on the highway, the sound of a plane landing in the Aang Airport, and the sounds of a couple arguing in the distance.

She paused, and cocked an ear. Korra didn’t normally like to eavesdrop, but one of the voices she could hear arguing sounded so familiar… Even though Korra listened hard for a moment, she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Or who they were. Still, she was curious. And she wanted to make sure nobody she knew was in a serious fight.

Quickly, she dropped from the tree branch, scooped up her bag, and headed in the direction of the shouting. Conveniently, it was in the same direction she was headed - the library.

The shouting was actually coming from right outside the library - right by the entrance to the magnificent old building, there was a sort of plaza area, decked out in nice wooden benches and tables. Korra could make out two figures, a man and a woman, illuminated underneath one of the streetlights. They were gesticulating wildly. Korra was finally close enough to hear what they were saying.

“Why can’t you accept that I got a little heated? Everyone says things they don’t mean when they get mad. You know me, I get upset easily. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I can’t always control myself when you get me mad.”

“See, that’s your problem! You’re blaming it on me! I didn’t get you mad - you choose to do that yourself. And now I’m choosing to break up with you.” 

The man took a shuddering breath, and spun around with his hands clutching his hair in frustration. As he spun, Korra got a glance at his face. She took an involuntary gasp. That was Mako! She looked back at the other woman, suddenly sure who it was. Yup. Asami. She had walked in on Mako and Asami fighting. 

Korra considered sneaking off, just forgetting about this and moving on. But even though it's not what a good friend would do, she was willing to invade Asami’s privacy to see Mako get what he deserved. She justified it by resolving to stop Mako from hurting Asami if things escalated and he got violent. 

“Asami! You can’t do this! Just give me another chance! What about all the good times we had? What about everything I did for you?”

Asami looked away from Mako, her face cold. “What could you do for me, Mako? You already said yourself I have everything I could want. My mind’s made up. I’m not getting back with you. And all the good times in the world wouldn’t make me want to date an asshole like you.”

Asami picked up her phone from where it was laying face up on the table, affecting nonchalance as she checked the time. 

Mako was about to respond when suddenly he stopped. He calmed down instantly, going from raging hot to ice cold.

“Asami. Is that a message from Korra?”

Korra’s eyes widened. The message she had sent earlier!

Asami looked a bit nervous for a second, before her expression calmed down again. 

“Yes it is. So what?”

Mako stepped right up to her. “She put you up to this, didn’t you? I knew something wasn’t right. There was no way you’d just leave me like that after one fight. You can’t trust Korra, Asami. She’s always wanted to get back with me. I bet she told you to leave me because she thinks I’d take her back.”

Korra reddened with anger. Part of her wanted to come running up to Mako and hit him. But she stayed hidden. If she revealed that she was eavesdropping on Asami and Mako fighting, it  _ would _ seem like she had somehow put Asami up to this. Plus, Korra had actually complained about Mako to Asami when they had coffee. So there was at least a grain of truth here.

She resolved to stay put behind the tree. As long as neither of them noticed her, she was fine. And it was still night - likely neither one of them could see much outside of the circle of light around them cast by the streetlight.

Asami was looking at Mako like he was a slug on her shoe.

“The more I hear from you, the less I ever want to see you again. You refuse to take any responsibility for your own actions. Why can’t you accept that I’m just starting to see who you really are, and I want nothing to do with it? Korra isn't involved in this in any way other than just being my friend. She just wanted to meet up and have some coffee again.”

“Korra has nothing to do with this? Really? I bet she talked about me.”

“You are so full of yourself, Mako. She complained about you, yes-”

“-See! She influenced you! She’s vindictive, trying to take you away from me.”

Asami paused. Korra took a deep breath. Surely Mako wasn’t getting through to Asami?

“How is it that the longer we talk, the more you seem like a caricature of a jealous boyfriend who can’t accept reality? It has nothing to do with Korra, and everything to do with you. Plainly, we don’t work well together. We are too different - and you know what? I don’t even like you at all anymore. Now, if you don’t calm down and leave me alone, I’ll call the police.”

Mako paused at that, his tirade dying on his lips. He looked at her phone, clutched tightly in her hand. Asami’s face was cold, composed. Certain. He licked his lips, and backed off.

“Fine! You bitch! You don’t need to call the police, I don’t want anything to do with a deluded loser like you, who doesn’t even know how good she’s got it. You’re crazy!”

And with that, Mako turned around and disappeared into the dark. Asami let out a breath. 

“That guy is unbelievable. There must be something wrong with his head. What did I ever see in him? He’s like a bad romance novel villain, or something.”

Korra watched, as Asami sighed, and pulled out her phone, and started quickly typing. A second later, Korra’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She sent a quick prayer to the spirits that her ringer was off. 

After Asami sent the message, she pulled her bag up to her shoulders, and walked off as well, in the opposite direction Mako had gone. 

Once she was all alone, Korra pulled out her phone, and walked out under the streetlight. One message from Asami.

-Asami: I enjoyed our coffee as well. I’m not feeling so great right now, so I’d like a day to myself. Let’s meet up again soon, though. How about Thursday?

-Korra: sounds good! same place?

Asami didn’t write back until later that night. Korra had headed home by then,was in the middle of cooking chicken and rice for her and Kuvira’s dinner when her phone buzzed again.

-Asami: I’ve got something else in mind. Hope you like Air Nomad food.

-Korra: matter of fact, i do.

Asami was texting a lot less than she had before, which made sense. If Korra had been in her position, the last thing she would have wanted would be to make plans. Most likely she’d be curled up under a blanket, watching a comfort show. But despite that, Asami had ended up agreeing to a second meeting. So Korra could feel good about that. 

Korra suddenly realized something - Asami now knew that Korra was Mako’s ex. Yikes. She hadn’t told her that when they got coffee. Though to be fair, Asami had probably pieced it together. After all, she had seen Korra make her escape through Bolin’s window two days earlier, and she was smart enough to connect the dots. 

Maybe if Korra could find a good way to bring it up, she could comfort the other girl about Mako? Korra remembered feeling pretty shitty after breaking up with him, and comforting people who feel bad is what friends do, right?

Korra fell asleep thinking about ways to be friends with Asami.


End file.
